Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed jobcentre closures in Glasgow on levels of deprivation in (a) Glasgow South constituency and (b) the city of Glasgow.

Following the initial announcement we undertake a site level Equality Analysis, which covers both customers and colleagues, to enable us to pay due regard to people impacted by the change who have a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

In addition, the number of staff supporting customers isn’t decreasing. Our proposal means we will be able to deliver enhanced services by bringing together some neighbouring jobcentres in Glasgow where we can achieve access to more employers and partners.

Increasingly, our customers access many of our services on-line. This includes claiming benefits, looking for jobs and keeping us informed of their efforts to find work. We tailor our service so that face-to-face contact can be focused on those who need extra support from us.

We have also agreed that where the distance from the current location to the proposed alternative jobcentre is over three miles or 20 minutes away by public transport, we are undertaking a public consultation to inform our final decisions on closure and alternative service delivery options.

We started this consultation on 7 December 2016 which includes information on the gov.uk website. The consultation will close on 31 January 2017.

Finally, employment is not just a DWP agenda and we will continue to work with Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Government, local authorities and other partner organisations to provide access to employment opportunities.